Category Archives: Review Roundups

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 9/28

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LOOPER

“A neat little movie that leaves you with the nagging feeling it could have been so much more.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
 
“I’m convinced Rian Johnson has a great film in him somewhere. This just isn’t it.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston
 
“It feels like Johnson painted himself into a corner with his time travel story and retrofitted it with this additional gimmick to get himself out.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net
 
“Big, bold, brainy, and ultimately brilliant, this movie doesn’t just have heart. It has soul.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune
 
“Minor annoyances aside, LOOPER is compelling character piece that begs for more viewings.” – Evan Crean, Starpulse
 
“Thoroughly entertaining and shocking. A couple moments visually, I was like: I’ve never seen that before. Fucked-up and cool.” – Steve Head, The Post-Movie Podcast
 

 

WON’T BACK DOWN

“This is one of those feel-good movies that doesn’t necessarily feel good so much as contrived. Like a jigsaw puzzle with jumbo pieces, its every element feels exaggerated and obvious.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“A pernicious utopian fantasy where no child gets left behind, just so long as we finally free ourselves from the shackles of organized labor. Hey, it worked out great for the NFL.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“The movie preaches about ‘hope’ and ‘yes we can.’ But a slightly different buzzword comes to my mind: bullshit.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix 
 

 

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA

“A funny and delightful horror spoof. This may be the surprise of the season.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“It’s not awful. It’s just terribly pleasant, that’s all.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“A mess. Bascially something to keep your kids entertained for
eighty-something mintues.” – Steve Head, The Post-Movie Podcast

 

BACKWARDS

“In this romantic drama, sweet and innocent equals plain and predictable. It’s all as expected as a Sylvester Stallone training sequence in any ROCKY film whose title ends in a number.” – Norm Schrager, Meet In The Lobby

“A master class in lazy writing.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix

 

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

“This sweet coming-of-age story is populated by actors who are slightly older than the characters they’re playing, but that shouldn’t distract you from a universal tale of growing up as an outsider.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix
 
“You may laugh. You may shed a tear. You will likely see some part of your life reflected on screen. It is the best film about high school in years.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net
 
“It’s a film that makes you feel warm, especially for those who are wallflowers themselves.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune
 
 
 
 
DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL
 
“It may be enough for people who have already drunk the Kool-Aid and worship at the altar of Diana Vreeland, but it leaves anybody looking for a balanced portrait out in the cold.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide
 
“Judging from the yarns she spins, that hothouse was a sinfully good place to be a fly on the wall.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix
 

 

SOLOMON KANE

“There’s a lot of generic swordplay, some better than generic special effects and some worse than generic dialogue.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Writer-director Michael J. Bassett stages the carnage under so much rain-soaked filth, you can almost smell the stench. It’s a good stench.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

VULGARIA

“This limp look inside the life of a fifth-rate film producer jumps on the bandwagon of HANGOVER-inspired hijinks. Only it fails to produce any humor.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix
 
 
 
PITCH PERFECT
 
“The experience most resembles a simultaneous stabbing of the eyeballs with an icepick to the ears.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune
 
“Jason Moore’s musical doesn’t hit all the high notes, but guilty pleasures are seldom perfect.” – Monica Castillo, The Boston Phoenix
 
“This high energy mess of a movie makes up for what it lacks in basic competence with goofball exuberance. It’s a slovenly lark, but a spirited one.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly 
 
“In terms of characters, pacing, writing, and sheer wit, this is one of the funniest films of the season.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net
 
 
 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 9/21

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DREDD

“I am kind of at a loss for words at the moment. This is really impressive filmmaking.” – Steve Head, The Post-Movie Podcast

“The gushing blood and continuous violence get to be too much. Everything’s so amped up that the individual moments fail to register.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“It’s a good deal wittier than expected from a movie that consists mostly of people getting shot in the face.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“Mildly rattled me with visceral gruesomeness, and yet had me giggling in delight at the audacity of its superb presentation.” – Tim Estlioz, Boston Movie Examiner

“Erase your memories of Sly’s bomb with this, director Pete Travis and writer/producer Alex Garland’s lean reboot.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

“DREDD has all the hard-hitting violence an action movie fan could ever want, and because it’s rated R, it’s not afraid it rub your nose in it.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“This is one of the most violent movies released this year. Consider that less a criticism than a warning. This is not for the squeamish.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, The Sci-Fi Movie Page

“A slam-bang joyride with a grim canvas — a darkness interrupted by vibrantly violent bursts of red.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“The extreme violence and satire are very much an amusing throwback to films of the late 80s/early 90s such as THE RUNNING MAN, ROBOCOP and TOTAL RECALL.” – Evan Crean, Reel Recon

 

END OF WATCH

“Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña aren’t exactly corrupt cops in this self-important police drama. They’re just fascistic assholes.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix
 
“This whole point-of-view, hand-held shaky camera crap has got to stop.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide
 
“Trying to follow the action made me so nauseous, I had to take a break halfway through and go walk around the lobby for a few minutes to keep from throwing up.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
 
“It’s nothing we haven’t seen in countless other cop shows and movies, but the Anglo/Hispanic rapport here seems fresh because of the enthusiasm the two actors bring to their roles.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net
 
“Ayer’s gut wrenching flick is so emotionally charged, it makes his previous police film TRAINING DAY seem wimpy.” – Evan Crean, Reel Recon
 
“A gratuitous migraine of narrative voids.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune
 
 
 
TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE
 
“Clint Eastwood’s most embarrassing public moment might have been his infamous speech to an empty chair at the Republican National Convention. Up until now, that is.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide
 
“The star power helps the charm outweigh the schmaltz.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix
 
“TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE doesn’t just remind you what a great screen presence Clint Eastwood is; it makes you appreciate him even more as a director because Lorenz does such a terrible job.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
 
“If the plot points are a bit too neat, the emotional truths are not.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net
 
“His acting style consists mainly of grunts and curse words, and every little sound or swear that comes through his mouth is a small stroke of grumpy geezer genius.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

 

 
THE MASTER
 
“A miserable film about miserable people, and sitting through it for 137 minutes is a miserable experience.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide
 
“If Anderson can ever figure out how to tell a story with a beginning, a middle and an end, cutting out long scenes that go nowhere, he might make a really great film.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net
 
“The actors are all pretty excellent but the mercurial Phoenix is a surprising standout. He makes Quell into a fascinating human freakshow, alternately frightening or pathetic.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist
 
“Confounding and troubling. This is an ambivalent picture, one that remains stubbornly unresolved. It’s a singular vision, and the movie haunts.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian
 
 
 
HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET
 
“‘I think this place is gonna be good for us,’ Sarah says to Elissa. Nope… not for any of us.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix 
 
 
 
 
CHICKEN WITH PLUMS
 
“The many pieces never coalesce into a satisfying whole, yet the indelible images make up for the lack of harmony.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix
 

 

LIBERAL ARTS

“This is a little more than an affable, self-absorbed fable for Generation Y as it pauses on the threshold of middle age.” – Kilian Melloy, EDGE Boston

“Radnor steals a lot from Woody Allen, particularly MANHATTAN. If only he could replicate the wit.” – Jake Mulligan, The Boston Phoenix

 

KNUCKLEBALL!

“Less a film about baseball itself, and more a film about two men who struggled with rejection, self-doubt and ultimate triumph against odds.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

 

10 YEARS

“Jamie Linden’s directorial debut proves what we long suspected: all movies could use a little more Channing Tatum.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

THE AMBASSADOR

“Taken as satire, this isn’t particularly funny.  But then, the corruption he’s exposing is anything but a joke.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

 
FOR ELLEN
 
“Shaylena Mandingo’s so good, it’s a shame that Paul Dano is his typically mannered self.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix
 
 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 9/14

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ARBITRAGE

“Watching that facade crack, and watching a good actor at the top of his game portray a man losing everything is absolutely fascinating.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“Isn’t it compelling enough to watch Gere engineer a high-stakes fraud without a dated melodrama hogging all the foreground?” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“The weird murder mystery is a bit much. I’d rather just stick to the numbers and personal drama for once, which is probably the first time I’ve ever written such a statement.” – Monica Castillo, DigBoston

 

FINDING NEMO 3D

“The compositions still exhilarate, and the smooth ocean renderings still amaze. It’s all just a little bit dimmer.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

LITTLE WHITE LIES

“And then there’s the films debilitating length, which is never – not even for a stretch – earned by the content.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

 

RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION

“An extended, mostly slow-motion gun battle that serves solely as a set-up for, yes, another sequel. Now that’s evil.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix
 
“You either enjoy an hour and a half of buff female and male characters in tight, form-fitting outfits shooting at zombies and each other, or you don’t.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, The Sci-Fi Movie Page
 
“I have very low expectations with a movie like this. I just want to be entertained and stare at Milla Jovovich. And I did.” – John Black, The Post-Movie Podcast
 
“Look, it’s September. Let’s just try and ride this crappy season out until the good stuff starts to hit in a week or two.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist
 
 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 9/7

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BACHELORETTE

“An invigorating shock – a comedic gut punch that reminds you that movies can be uproarious without needing to be lazily constructed.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“It’s chock-full of drug use, casual sex and some astonishingly inventive flights of profanity. I laughed myself sick.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“This movie’s got a bitter soul that’s ready to go, and has about as much heart as a freezer filled with ice and cyanide.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“Making the audience sit through almost two hours of harpy-level screeching to get to the point is unforgivable.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

 

THE WORDS

“It’s not that this is a bad movie, necessarily; it’s just hard to know what to make of it.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“Simply a mishmash of narratives never fully realized or fleshed out.” – Tim Estiloz, Boston Movie Examiner

“The elements seem to be there to tell an interesting story, but the way they are presented is the problem.” – John Black, Boston Event Guide

“A compelling drama that may not have a lot of things to say, but it is certainly about the way we say things.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“More so than some movies, this is one that turns on how you relate to the players.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

“If you’re an introspective person, you’ll appreciate what THE WORDS has to say, even if you feel a bit downtrodden after watching.” – Evan Crean, StarPulse

 

THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY

“Sigourney Weaver is the only one having any fun. That includes the audience.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix
 
“More sooner than later, the rest of his family is taken hostage, and Willis exits the picture on the lookout for the nearest check-cashing place.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
 
 
 
BRANDED
 
“Borderline offensive and overly dense, the movie is unsure of what it wants to be: a sci-fi thriller or a socialist parable.” – Monica Castillo, The Boston Phoenix
 
“If you want to understand what ‘pretentious’ means, you’ve got to check out BRANDED. Or rather, don’t.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist
 
 

BOFCA REVIEW ROUNDUP: 8/31

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OSLO, AUGUST 31ST

“A devastating film. Anders moves through the picture like a ghost, while Danielsen Lie’s performance grows increasingly closed off and enigmatic.” – Sean Burns, The Improper Bostonian

“The movie captures moments of lyrical beauty. As the final shots mirror the first, you reflect on how life goes on, with and without us.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

“You leave the film overwhelmed by the skill behind its craft and simultaneously demolished by its stark, compassionate, yet ultimately hopeless vision of the struggle against the darkness within.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

 

LAWLESS
 
“A strong cast and a fresh spin on the gangster film help overcome a script that occasionally lapses into cliché.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, NorthShoreMovies.net

 

“One of those curious misfires in which a lot of talented people are nowhere near their comfort zones. And I still couldn’t understand a word Tom Hardy said.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly

“What should be a classic modern-western gets derailed by schizophrenic direction in John Hillcoat’s hilariously uneven depiction of a lawless world.” – Jake Mulligan, EDGE Boston

“Pearce’s role is a perfect example of the over-the-top theatrical performance that Awards Voters love, because Awards Voters are usually stupid.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“It’s curious, but we now seem to find ourselves waxing nostalgic about times when the people in power were merely corrupt. Nowadays, they’re practically cannibalistic.” – Kilian Melloy, Kal’s Movie Blog

“LAWLESS is not going to win any prize for breaking the story mold, but that’s okay because it revisits this well-trod ground enthusiastically.” – Bob Chipman, The Escapist

 

FOR A GOOD TIME, CALL…

“Other than Kevin Smith, is there anyone more toxic to a film than Nia Vardalos? Well, get ready, because first-time feature director Jamie Travis has them both.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

“A movie so unfunny it makes SCHINDLER’S LIST look like SUPERBAD. The characters swear and talk about sex like young kids who just discovered both things exist.” – Greg Vellante, The Eagle Tribune

“It constantly ducks away from any semblance of adult sexuality, while director Travis indulges in garish colors and giggle fits.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly 

 

 THE BULLET VANISHES

“As far as cheap knock-offs go, it’s a fairly flattering imitation.” – Brett Michel, The Boston Phoenix

 

 

SLEEPWALK WITH ME

“But you don’t need to spend $11.75 to see an infomercial. It’s under-thought, overdone, and presented without the slightest hint of visual panache. It’s repellent.” – Jake Mulligan, The Suffolk Voice

“And while the deadpan delivery of the series of unfortunate events is amusing, it can grow tiring. It’s also easy to feel frustrated with Mike’s character, as the leading man, he doesn’t quite mature from the start of the film.” – Monica Castillo, Paste Magazine

“Nobody bothered to outsize this interior monologue into an actual motion picture. So, from the get-go, it’s like we’re watching some overblown, under-photographed version of a story we’ve already heard.” – Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly